Second Sunday of Advent (A)

December 8, 2019

Readings:

First Reading: Isaiah 11: 1-10

Psalm 122 “Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.”

Second Reading: Romans 15: 4-9

Gospel reading according to Matthew 3: 1-12

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Homily:

We do not know what happen to John after his birth by Elizabeth in the house of Zechariah.  It takes time for John to appear in the public, in the desert of Judea.  Now, he is preaching in the desert of repentance for all the sins done by his countrymen and women against God and against its neighbors.  In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  (Matthew 3: 1-2).  John proclaimed and preached repentance for the Reign—Kingdom of God is coming very soon. Also, it took centuries that a prophet appeared in those days.  The prophets were silence or nowhere to be found to guide the people Israel.  Only now that the voice of the prophet is being heard, in the person of John the Baptizer.

The Prophet Isaiah, one of the greatest prophets of old prophesied this, that one prophet who is to come will shout in the desert crying out saying prepare the way of the Lord, the path he will walk will be straightened.  It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: 'A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths' (Matthew 3: 3).  Isaiah already mentioned and predicted the coming of John who will become the precursor of the Lord, the Messiah of the Most High God.  John will be the voice in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord, the trod he will walk must he straightened.

The manner of living of John has been described.  John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist.  His food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3: 4).  Regarding his clothing, he wore the traditional clothing of the prophets, camel's hair and leather belt, instead of the commonly wore robes, he used the camel's hair and leather belt instead of sash and turbans. The prophets also ate locusts and wild honey instead of bread, meat (birds) and water in the desert.

Like a wild fire that spread wide and faster in the surrounding towns and neighboring villages, the preaching and baptism of John made known in Jerusalem, towns and villages of Judea and the whole region of Jordan.  The personality of the prophet John also attracted many people.  His unique clothing and powerful voice made known that a prophet came in this time and place.    At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins (Matthew 3: 5-6).  Many people coming from all towns and villages and city of Jerusalem, Judea and Jordan came to John to listen to his preaching, be baptized in the River Jordan for the forgiveness of their sins.

Among the people who came were the groups of Pharisees and Sadducees.  When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.  And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones (Matthew 3: 7-9).  When they heard John preaching and baptizing, they came to receive also baptism to avoid the wrath of God but not to repent their sins and amend their lives rather to continue what they were used to be, to manipulate ordinary Jewish people.  John knew them and he has no fear with them, that's why he freely called them, vipers of brood, children of beasts (brutes, snakes/cobra)..

John, as a prophet and a righteous man, is not afraid to tell the truth.  He can even say the possibility for those people who do not bear good fruits, that is, those who do not do good things to their neighbors.   Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3: 10).  The ax is ready to cut the barren trees, the fruitless trees.  Those people, especially the Pharisees and Sadducees, who do not do righteous and just things to their neighbors are like dead trees, will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 

John also explained his baptism, it is like cleansing of dirty body in the River Jordan, cleansing of the filth that clings to the body.  I am baptizing you with water; for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.  I am not worthy to carry his sandals (Matthew 3: 11).  As a prophet, John is true to himself.  He is baptizing with water, a symbol of cleansing and removal of unworthy things in one's body, It is a baptism of repentance, of changing one's style of life, of amending the wrong done, a metanoia, a change of one's heart, mind and perspective in life.  He, John, also was saying the truth that someone greater than he is coming, as like a slave who carries his master’s sandals, he said, he was not even worthy to do so. The One who is to come is mighty, powerful, and all-knowing, merciful and just.

If John will baptize with water as a sign of repentance, the One who is to come will baptize us with the Holly Spirit and Holy Fire.   He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3: 11).  In His baptism, we will receive strength and power of the Advocate, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit; and the light, the warmth and the alab of the Holy Fire.  In His hands is a winnowing or threshing fan (biilao).  His winnowing fan is in his hand.  He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3: 12).  Like a farmer, after harvesting the wheat or palay, he cleans the seeds with the weeds using winnowing fan to remove wildflowers, unwanted and wild plants.  The good seeds will go to barn while the wildflowers, unwanted and wild seeds will go to fire.  The prophet John continues his preaching like a wild fire spreading to the whole valley of Judea and many ordinary people are listening to him and they receive with the baptism of repentance, and to prepare the way of the Lord who is to come.